Hey!! Let's get some action going! What are we reading?

[edbro]

Originally Posted by MelC

I started a new book The Passage - apocalyptic novel apparently (I'm only at about 130 of 850), very much borrowed from SK and MC but so far passable presentation of the genre.

Mel

That book has gotten a lot of good reviews. I have not read it yet. Two weeks ago I finished another of his books, The Summer Guest, which I very much enjoyed. That was as far from an apocalyptic novel as they get.

Who is MC?

[MelC]

Originally Posted by edbro

That book has gotten a lot of good reviews. I have not read it yet. Two weeks ago I finished another of his books, The Summer Guest, which I very much enjoyed. That was as far from an apocalyptic novel as they get.

Who is MC?

Sorry, especially with the coincidence with my name I should have been clearer - MC=Michael Crichton

Mel

[edbro]

See, I was guessing you had transposed the letters and were meaning Cormac McCarthy. His The Road was also apocalyptic.

[purpsurfer]

I downloaded an Audible version of The Passage before I realized that I can't stand listening to someone else read! I guess I will get to it eventually!

[lilac_jive]

I've started "Loving a Lost Lord" by Mary Jo Putney, which I got as a freebie a few months ago. I've read some of her books before and enjoyed them, but this one is incredibly lackluster.

[purpsurfer]

Just finished The Art of Racing in the Rain by Garth Stein. Loved it A few tears and well worth the read. Going to start The Thirteenth Tale tonight. With everyone loving Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, I downloaded it but CAN NOT get into it. I will get back to it eventually I guess.

Sara

[MelC]

Originally Posted by edbro

See, I was guessing you had transposed the letters and were meaning Cormac McCarthy. His The Road was also apocalyptic.

There is definitely a world of apocalypse between Michael Crichton and Cormac McCarthy and Cronin definitely falls closer to Crichton than McCarthy.

Mel

[bjones6416]

I hope the trilogy does leave some readers as satisfied as they say they are. The fact that it leaves some folks (the majority here?) decidedly otherwise is evidence of the true value of hype in publishing and its ancillary services. Even those who didn't like the book seem to have given it a 100+ page chance I don't think it deserved.

It's always fascinating to me to see how much reading tastes can differ in any given group of people, because, I promise, I have no problem pointing out when the emperor is naked, but I really liked the Stieg Larsson books -- all three of them. :-) That apparently puts me in the minority in this thread, but hey, different strokes, right? I do agree, though, that some people will just say they enjoyed a book because they think they are supposed to. Life is too short for that, in my opinion. If you like something, read it and enjoy it, and if you don't, move on.

I just finished "Cutting for Stone" by Abraham Verghese, and I liked it a lot, too.

[bjones6416]

Originally Posted by purpsurfer

Just finished The Art of Racing in the Rain by Garth Stein. Loved it A few tears and well worth the read. Going to start The Thirteenth Tale tonight. With everyone loving Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, I downloaded it but CAN NOT get into it. I will get back to it eventually I guess.

Sara

I loved The Art of Racing in the Rain, too. Who knew dogs and NASCAR would be such a winning combination in a book? My nephew and I are always quoting from it to each other, things like, "that which you manifest is before you," and "your car goes where your eyes go." Great book.

(Really liked The Thirteenth Tale, too, btw.)

Betty

[*reg*]

Really liked The Thirteenth Tale, too, btw.

I loved that novel. I keep checking on the net every couple of months to see if she has a new novel being released, haven't seen anything yet though *sigh*.

[pdurrant]

Originally Posted by pdurrant

Now for this month's book club choice: Sheepfarmer's Daughter by Elizabeth Moon. Free from the Baen Free Library, the first volume of a trilogy, with the first book of some sequels just published.

I really liked this when I first read it. It'll be interesting to see how it stands up to a re-read.

It stood up quite well. I got slightly more irritated by the borrowings from Tolkien, and the complete disregard of the real differences in potential strength between male and female.

I was surprised to find that the first book has far less of the supernatural than I remembered. And that although the books do stand alone more than LotR, they work much better as a complete work.

On the whole, I really enjoyed the re-read, and I'm looking forward to the sequel, once my TBR list is a little lower.

Now onto another 'series' book. The Double Comfort Safari Club by Alexander McCall Smith

I've really enjoyed the No.1 Ladies' Detective Agency series. And from the start of this book, it's as good as the rest.

And it shows why I'll miss Fictionwise. At Amazon this book would currently cost me $12.22. I got it at Fictionwise on May 12th 2010 for $8.50, using my club membership and one of their 100% rebate sales.

[MelC]

I liked the series too BJ and I'm not a fan of Dan Brown, James Patterson bestsellers and it never would have occurred to me to classify the Stieg Larsson books in that category they seemed much smarter and more interesting to me. I started the series before it became popular in North America (was fortunate to be visiting my sister in Europe and picked up an english copy there before it was available in North America, followed through by the same method for the next two) so I can definitely say that hype wasn't what attracted me to it. I think I looked into it as a result of a recommendation here or on Goodreads.

I was also a fan of The Art of Racing in the Rain so looks like we can back each other up on book choices.

Mel

[bjones6416]

Originally Posted by MelC

I was also a fan of The Art of Racing in the Rain so looks like we can back each other up on book choices.

Mel

I agree -- I'm off to look through your previous posts to see what you've recommended!

[MelC]

Originally Posted by bjones6416

I agree -- I'm off to look through your previous posts to see what you've recommended!

From scanning your posts it looks like I should be getting serious about reading Cryptonomicon. I have it but it hasn't made itself a force to be reckoned with on my to be read pile. Might have to give it a nudge to move it further up.

Mel

[jgaiser]

Originally Posted by MelC

From scanning your posts it looks like I should be getting serious about reading Cryptonomicon. I have it but it hasn't made itself a force to be reckoned with on my to be read pile. Might have to give it a nudge to move it further up.

Cryptonomicon was a *HARD* read my first time through. Three stories going simultaneously got to my head... Second and third read were much better, though I still think the ending is a little weak.